Countdown: Eight
by KJ4
Summary: A member of Proteus takes steps to contain the Syndrome situation by sending a maniac after a monster. As for the monster in question, he's wining, dining, and plotting his next move.


Disclaimer: Don't own Incredibles...Pixar/Disney does. Don't own Aberrant...White Wolf does.

Author's notes: This is a short a little tidbit...at least compared to the others. As usual, thanks to the usual suspects for your support. And as usual...reviews are appreciated. Oh...and there's no bodycount in this. That's right...no deaths, no killing, we have a bodycount of ZERO! Nullchronicler...don't have a heart attack.

* * *

"_Emergency workers continue to work around the clock in Somalia as they try to locate survivors of the disaster. Similar humanitarian efforts are taking place in Yemen, India, the UAE, and parts of Iran and Pakistan, though the primary focus is on Somalia which has been devastated by what has been described as an event of Biblical Proportions._

_In other news today, police officers and forensic teams are still trying to determine what caused the massive explosion in Port of Vancouver, that took out several warehouses and a section about the size of a city block..."_

-CTV News

* * *

_**Addis Ababa, Project Utopia (formerly Ethiopia)**_

Hideo Ozaki, also known as Two in the Proteus Council of Seven, frowned as he thumbed his was way through the data-pad he was given. Aside from having various news reports from around the world regarding "unusual events", some of them were accompanied by file attachments that contained reports from various field agents. Ever since Buddy Pine's escape over a week ago, Ozaki, like the other members of the Council, was more than a little apprehensive. Then again, the last couple months had everyone on edge. If he were a superstitious man and more than a little paranoid, he would swear the fates had conspired to screw everyone over in a massive onslaught of "unfortunate" incidents.

_Then again, we're basically playing God to the world...we were bound to face critical situations...just not so many at once._

Ozaki never believed in superstition, and only considered himself "moderately" paranoid, but that was given in his line of work. Though he would never admit it to the other members of the council (except maybe Thetis), he realized that he had made a critical error by rushing to judgment on David Flynn. Yes, the young man was a problem that had to be dealt with, and while letting the boy's father take him out sounded like convenient way to kill two problems with one stone, Ozaki never realized exactly resourceful and imaginative Buddy Pine could be. Even as he read the regular reports being sent in by various research teams, he still couldn't believe it.

_Using the facility's own power-generators, and the station itself to create and channel EMP waves through the Earth's crust and into the molten mantle...I never would have seen that coming...I __**didn't**_ _see that coming. According to our experts, if Pine cranked up just a little more juice, he would have triggered an actual geological polar shift..._

Ozaki shuddered at what that would have meant...Buddy Pine would have caused a worldwide cataclysm almost on par with the event that killed off the dinosaurs millions of years ago. Humanity, if it survived, would literally be taken back to the stone-age as floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, and several other disasters would reshape the world. However, Pine didn't go that far...instead, he only caused freakish weather patterns and multiple tsunamis that kept the damage isolated to a relatively small area. Fatalities were minimal compared to what could have happened.

_Minimal...I suppose that's a relative term. _Ozaki shook his head as he went over the latest figures. _When compared to the over 6 billion people on planet, a body count barely approaching one million does sound minimal._

He paused in his thoughts for a moment, wondering exactly when did he get the ability of looking at a high death count and simply regard it as a statistic. As Thetis' primary enforcer with reputation for ruthless efficiency, Ozaki was no stranger to having people killed, especially since it was for the greater good. On the other hand, he found it disturbing that he could now simply sit by when almost a million people were killed and simply accept it as merely part of an equation.

Part of him did regret ordering Phillip Lavielle killed, but there really was no choice in the matter. Lavielle had learned things about the organization he was supposedly in charge of and was about to reveal that information to Richard Dicker of the National Superhuman Agency.

_Dicker..._

Ozaki involuntarily clenched a fist at the thought of that old bastard who ran the American agency. Very few people could anger Ozaki in such a way. There had been times that Ozaki wished he could simply order Dicker's assassination and have Chiraben put a bullet through the old bastard's head, but logic and reason overrode that desire.

_Killing that old fossil would attract too much attention and his replacement would do whatever it took to find whoever was responsible. His counterparts in the Directive would also get involved, and right now, they only suspect the possibility of our existence._

The Directive was another thorn in Proteus' side. An international security, police, and espionage agency founded by the United States, the UK, The Russian Confederation, and Japan, the agency set itself as a sort of counterbalance to Utopia's growing influence. Though Utopia was able to convince most of the world media to portray the Directive as an incompetent and/or dangerous agency created by powerful politicians who wanted to destroy Utopia because they saw it as a threat to their powerbase, it still enjoyed plenty of support.

_And they aren't nearly as incompetent as we portray them._

Killing Dicker would be like leaving a trail of bread crumbs which would lead the vultures of the Directive right to Proteus' doorstep. No, better to kill Lavielle and prevent him from saying anything to Dicker. The evidence of the crime would indicate that the Teragen were behind the hit.

_Hopefully, Lavielle's niece will get the message and try not to follow in her uncle's footsteps._

He returned his attention to the data-pad, pausing as he read a news article about an explosion at the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia. Something nibbled at the back of his brain as he remembered something. He noted a flashing tab appended to the article, indicating an agent report. He tapped the screen on the flashing tab which opened the report. His eyes widened as he read through it.

_Of course...it makes sense._

He scrolled down through the report...the warehouse that exploded was owned by a shipping firm that served as a front company for the Nakato yakuza clan from Japan. While that was already known, the agent's report also revealed that the warehouse, before it was acquired by the Nakato, belonged to a subsidiary firm owned by Pine Industries.

_The warehouse must have been one of Pine's "safehouses" and the Nakato snatched it up when the NSA began to seize Pine Industries assets._

He checked the other field reports that were appended to the article. One of them was from a Utopia deep cover agent in Tokyo. This report indicated that a shipment of "specialized cargo" was to be shipped to Vancouver, British Columbia, and sold to a buyer. The warehouse was meant to be the drop-off point. Another file tab flashed into existence, indicating a new report, this one from Utopia's Sci-Tech division. According to this report, a few hours after the explosion, the Nakato were scrambling to consolidate financial assets that were in in local banks because someone was starting to drain particular bank accounts.

_Well, Pine...you certainly haven't wasted any time, have you? One week and you've managed to kill more people and get some cash._

Unfortunately, the people at Sci-Tech weren't able to track where the money went and the trail for Buddy Pine went cold.

_Okay, Pine...we lost you, but at least we know where you're going._

Ozaki opened another file, this one playing the recent media footage of David Flynn officially opening the doors of his company to the public. It still amazed Ozaki how David Flynn resembled Buddy Pine in some ways and yet the mannerisms, the way the boy talked and moved, even the eyes were different. While Buddy Pine was a psychotic genius who suffered from a bad case of narcissism, David Flynn was more calm, cool, and collected. It saddened Ozaki that killing Flynn, like disposing of Lavielle, was a necessity, not an option. The boy would have made an excellent addition to Utopia and Proteus.

_Unfortunately, he knows too much about us and disagrees with what needs to be done. I just wish we hadn't decided to use his father. That man is a psychopath and he won't stop with Flynn._

He picked up the phone and dialed a number, tapping away on the data-pad and sending the files on Pine and Flynn to someone else.

The phone only rang once on the other end before someone picked it up. "Talk to me!" announced the voice, sounding entirely too cheerful. In the background, Ozaki could hear was sounded like mariachi music.

"Chiraben, I'm sending you files as we speak. I want you study them and start doing prep."

"Hold on." Ozaki heard some tapping of keys in the background and then flinched as the voice almost yelled into his ear. "AWESOME! A 'Two-fer'!"

"Can you do the job, Chiraben?" Ozaki asked.

"Sorry for sounding a little over-enthusiastic, boss. It's not everyday someone sanctions me to kill a psychotic mastermind and his bastard son. But yeah, I can do the job."

"Then get going," Ozaki ordered. "I want you in Metroville, California for initial recon in the next twenty four hours. While Pine is targeting the boy, you are not...I repeat...you are not to interfere. Let Pine kill the boy, then kill Pine...is that understood?'

"Yeah," Chiraben replied, sounding uncharacteristically professional for a moment. Then the moment disappeared as he chuckled wickedly. "So how messy do you want it?"

* * * * *

_**Seattle, Washington**_

_**Pacific Arms Hotel**_

"_Though it seems that there has been no new activity in the Indian Ocean, tensions remain high as experts from around the world try to figure out what could possibly cause what can only be described as an event of nearly biblical proportions..."_

"BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS!" Buddy shouted out. "Boo-yah!"

He poured himself a glass of champagne and sipped it as he flipped through the various channels. Even though it had been over a week since he escaped, the media was still covering the "catastrophe of biblical proportions", and he loved every minute of it. He was a little disappointed that his rampage in Vancouver a couple days ago was barely covered in the news, he didn't mind too much. As far as the media was concerned, a turf-war between the Nakato and some unknown group was nothing compared to the "wrath of God" (as an MSNBC reporter put it) unleashed in the Indian Ocean.

Buddy turned to face his reflection in the mirror next to the small mini-bar of his hotel room and raised his glass. "To Buddy Pine, a man who fell from the height of greatness, only to tear his way back to the top with the biggest comeback event of all time."

He finished off his glass and then set it aside as he turned his attention to a laptop on the coffee table. "Well...celebration over, time to get back to work." He tapped in a couple commands and he pulled up the files he had uploaded from the palm-pilot computer he had taken from the Nakato. He shook his head and clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Aw, man...I can't believe it. Not only do they rip off some of my assets, but they downgraded my design. Talk about cutting corners."

Using the Nakato information, he was able to transfer almost most of the money from their Canadian bank accounts to a "ghost" account he created. Then he simply withdrew the money and made some arrangements. Slipping into the states was relatively easy. Two days later, he was in a four star hotel where he enjoyed a real hot shower, ordered real food, and bought a cheap laptop from Best Buy which he quickly modified to serve as a portable mainframe. Of course, the lap-top was only a temporary measure. Eventually, once he got a new base of operations established, he would upgrade, but...for the time being, it would do. After all, he was on the run and it was best to stay mobile.

At the moment, he was looking at the weapon designs the Nakato were planning to sell and he was pissed. Oddly enough, he was not upset that Shimata industries ripped off his design, but angry at the sub-standard materials used for the plasma launcher. He could understand that it was for cutting production cost, but it yielded a slower discharge rate and broke down too easily. He scrolled through the other designs and saw pretty much the same thing.

"No," he said, shaking his head again. "This just isn't working."

He brought up a drafting program began to re-do the designs, using his original blueprints. An hour and a half later, he had re-done all five designs, then smiled as he looked that the three-dimensionally rendered models.

"Oh yeah...made in America. I think it's time we made that mean something again." He picked up a cell-phone and dialed a certain number again.

"Yes," rasped the voice.

"Well, I know I said I would contact you with in a week, but I lied."

"You again!" the voice snarled.

"Yes," Buddy chuckled. "Me...again. Look, you Michaelites really need to get rid of that 'grrrr...arrrrgh' thing you got going. It's not good for business...not to mention your personal health."

"Nor is interfering in a business deal," the other man replied.

"Agreed, but I'll let your implied threat slide. I mean, after killing off a bunch of ruthless Nakato, do you really think I'm afraid of a bunch of religious nutjobs?"

"You...you killed them?" It wasn't fear in the other man's voice, but something else...curiosity perhaps. It didn't matter to Buddy, because the man's demeanor almost immediately changed from hostility to businesslike. "Well then...perhaps we can talk business. Unfortunately, you did destroy a vital shipment we needed for our operations, my colleagues are not happy about that."

"Your colleagues should be thanking me, because I kept them from buying an inferior product. Look, I told you the other day that I would be contacting you in a week. Today, I'm contacting you to tell you to keep your eye on the daily news. In five days, something's going to happen...consider it...an audition."

"An audition?"

"A chance to establish my credibility. I notice your group is stepping up activity in California, particularly near and around Metroville. I plan on moving my base of operations down to that area."

"I must confess," the man said, "I am suspicious. You destroy a business arrangement that took us a month to put together, and now you're coming out of nowhere, willing to continue the deal? We don't even know who you are."

"Yeah, I know it's kind of suspicious," Buddy replied. "Which is why I think you'll be willing to deal with me after I leave you a calling card."

"What kind of calling card?"

Even though the other man couldn't see him, Buddy grinned. "The kind that will have you and your colleagues scrambling to do business with me. Just keep your eyes on the local news...it's going to get get a little bloody."

He terminated the connection, then called up a search engine on his laptop. "Now, let's see," he said as he tapped away on the keyboard. "How many novas are active on the west-coast?"

His eyes widened as he saw several teams pop up. "Damn," he muttered. "So many teams...so many targets." He noted a couple of the teams were tagged with a Project Utopia logo, indicating that they were directly sponsored by the organization. "Ooooh, really juicy targets."

He clicked on one of the Utopia sponsored teams and read through the roster. Unfortunately, spirits started to sink when he saw that these were mostly "low-level" novas. It wasn't until he came across a team in San Francisco that something caught his eye. They were a group called "The Protectors"...a rather dull name, but the powers this group possessed impressed him.

But what really got his attention was the auburn haired woman with a fireball in one hand and leaning against the wall. She looked familiar, and he couldn't figure out why...until he saw the name of the heroine...Tanya Mitchell...Blazestone.

_Oh my...little Tanya Mitchell...all grown up now. Damn, she filled out nicely...too bad she decided to follow in Mommy's footsteps._

Then Buddy chuckled wickedly, his laughter echoing slightly through the room. "But who am I to stand in the way of tradition?"


End file.
